“Brraaaaaaaaaapp-aaa.....”

Last Friday afternoon (July 18, 2008), as I exited the mighty Canandaigua Tops supermarket, suddenly “Brraaaaaaaaaapp-aaa.....” from far, far away; the sound of an enraged unmuffled Harley being wound through the gears.
So I started looking toward State Route 332, the main north-south four-lane through Canandaigua, which at this point is about 200 yards from Tops.
He’s probably leaving the next traffic-light north, which is Airport Road.
Tops is in the northwest corner of 332 and North Road, also a traffic-light.
The raging Harley sounds like it’s approaching that intersection.
Sure enough, the light is red, so raging Harley is being downshifted through every gear: “Blam! Bda-bda-bda;” “Blam! Bda-bda-bda;” “Blam! Bda-bda-bda;” “Blam! Bda-bda-bda.”
Raging Harley rumbles quietly to a stop.
I notice it has ape-hangers, at least three feet above the steering-stem.
How can you goose such a thing and hang on?
I ride motorbike myself, and wouldn’t want any such thing.
A typical sport-bike (like mine) sits you in such a way steering inputs are natural and work.
Ape-hangers may look cool, but where is the leverage?
My first bike, the Norton, had a sit-up-and-beg seat, which had me hanging on for dear life on expressways.
I seemed to be witnessing a presentation of sorts; a noisy expression against all social constraints.
—Like the way to rebel is make incredible racket with a giant motorized fart.
Too bad he couldn’t do that at the North Road light. He must have had traffic in front of him.
When the light changed he idled quietly into the city.

My first motorcycle was a 1975 850 Norton.